1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to miter clamps and more particularly to a clamping block used with conventional clamping tools to assist in clamping miters and various angles in wood.
2. Prior Art
In construction of wooden frames such as picture frames, door frames, and the like, joining angled corners, know as miter joints, are engaged together often by adhesives, screws, or nails. Due to the limited ability of a single laborer, miter joints must to be held in place by clamps, or similar apparatus to support the joint prior to glueing or nailing. Prior art clamps have shown many attempts to accomplish this.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,222,204 to Hanson teaches a clamping device used especially for the gluing of mitered corners of a frame. The clamp is adjustable along all edges of a typical frame construction and allows for adaptability for many types of miter joints. However, the device is overly complex in design and as such could be easily prone to user error. Furthermore, the Hanson device involves many components that if misplaced, as can happen in a workshop, render the device inoperable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,162,785 to Johnson teaches a miter clamp employing an adjustable screw member for applying contact force on two mitered surfaces. In use however, means for engaging the device to the mitered elements involves inserting pins into the surface of the mitered elements leaving visible holes when removed. Since it is often desired to maintain aesthetic appeal on visible surfaces especially on the construction of a picture frame or the like, the device and method of this patent are undesirable. Many other prior art clamps especially those employing small clamping pads such as U.S. Pat. No. 2,941,557 to Baprawski are known to cause visible damage and are undesirable.
The above devices, as well as many other prior art miter clamps and similar clamping devices fall short in the areas mentioned. Additionally, some are not only costly due to complexity and other issues, they are also bulky, and occupy an inordinate amount of space in the already cluttered construction or workshop environment. Introduction of new and complex equipment that, although build upon technological progress and innovation, can cause unneeded frustration to the common laborer. As a consequence, simplicity along with innovation can provide much more progress in technological advancement.
As such, there is a continuing and unmet need for a clamp, clamping device, or clamping aid, that is easy to manufacture, cost effective, and easy to use. Such a device should be easily adaptable to the installed base of equipment already employed on the construction site or in workshops to insure easy and widespread employment in combination with exiting tools and methods. Such a device should be simple to use and in construction, to even further reduce costs, as well as reduce user-frustration due to the often excessive complexity of newly introduced devices.